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Healing A Back Injury With Yoga

Yoga not only benefits your overall well-being — physically, mentally, and emotionally — but consistent yoga exercises can actually help heal your body from an injury, especially in the back or shoulder area. Back injuries are unfortunately fairly common and can affect your entire body. If you are currently enduring pain or stiffness in your back from an injury, or you are worried about re-injuring your back, today’s blog is for you. Continue reading to learn about the physical benefits yoga offers in regards to back pain and injury. We hope that these tips and advice aid in your healing process.

Posture And Balancing

A large component of yoga is balancing. From switching between different positions and engaging your core muscles, even the most simple of yoga position requires you to activate your sense of balance. Over time, your balance will improve — no more shaky legs! — and you will notice that you can hold a pose more steadily than you could during those first few yoga classes. Strengthening your muscles to help build your sense of balance incorporates your core and your back. If you have recently healed from a back injury and are trying to strengthen your back muscles to further heal and to prevent a re-injury, practicing balancing poses will help to correct your posture and strengthen the muscles in your back. A strong back builds resilience against injury. Not only that, but balancing and correct posture also aid in the proper alignment if your head, shoulders, and even pelvis. And even these areas of your body are important for avoiding a back injury.

Stretching, Stretching…Oh, Did We Mention Stretching?

Stretching out those tight, tense muscles after you have healed or are in the process of healing from a back injury is critical. Many yoga poses require you to hold the position for a 10 to 60 seconds to get a full muscle stretch. Incorporating stretching into your daily routine, inside or outside of yoga classes, will continue to strengthen muscles that were injured and are tense and tight, and will further strengthen your back to stave off any re-injuring in that area.

Consistent Breathing

Breathing consistently and fully cannot be suggested enough during your yoga exercises. You may find yourself holding your breath as you perform and hold a yoga pose, but without taking full breaths, you aren’t experiencing the full effect of the stretch. Not only that, but proper breathing encourages good circulation throughout your body, including your back. In order to reap the full rewards of yoga — which is incredibly important during the healing and recovering process of an injury — proper breathing and blood circulation is essential. Further, by focusing on your breathing, you are activating different parts of your brain and causing them to engage with your sense of consciousness.

Full Body Strengthening

Depending on the types of yoga exercises you do, yoga poses can strengthen muscles in your entire body. Because you hold these positions for a couple of seconds to up to a minute, your body is receiving the full effect, thus strengthening muscles you didn’t even know you had. This is especially important when you are recovering from a back injury. Your back and back muscles control many areas of your body, so the stronger all of your muscles are, the better off your back will be. Plus, those sore, aching muscles will need to be loosened up as they heal and re-strengthen, and the practice of yoga can do just this.

Whether you have sustained a back injury and are wanting to continue your healing process, you are worried about re-injuring a pre-injured back, or are just wanting to strengthen your back as a whole to prevent any injuries, consistent yoga exercises and stretches can help. Learning the proper breathing techniques and holding a certain yoga pose for a good amount of time will continue to strengthen your back and relax your muscles. Healing from an injury or not, these are incredibly powerful positions that will benefit your entire body and well-being.

Learn more about how yoga can heal a back, or any other bodily injury, and sign up for yoga classes at LoveYoga today. Your mind, body, and soul will thank you.